Printing-press bed-block.



S. W. MARVIN. PRINTING PRESS BED BLOCK. APPLICATION FILED JAN- 16. i915.

1, 1 47,334. Patented July 20, 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- F11, & 6. 4 c I H 27 is 'b a d 15 wi-lnesses In 0621507 wi' a I WYW mum COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,. WASHINGTON. D4 c.

s. w. MARVIN. PRINTING PRESS BED BLOCK. APPLICATION FILED .IAN- I5, I9I5.

Patented J uly 20, 1915 Fig, Q 2 SH ETS-SHEET i Y I r g in witnesses; v 'Invenibr.

H CCL, WASHINGTON D c FFEQ.

SAMUEL W. MARVIN, F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-THIRD TO cnAnLns G. wants, or BOSTON, Massacnusntrrs, Ann on'n-rrnrnn TO WILLIAM J.

MARSH, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PRINTING-PRESS BED-BLOCK.

menace.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 21)., 1915;

Application filed January 16, 1915. Serial No. 2,513.

. To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. MARVIN, a citizen of the United Statearesiding in Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in PrintingPress Bed-Blocks, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like p arts.

This invention relates to bed blocks for printing presses and has for one of its objects to provide means for securely locking a plurality of disconnected and independ: ently movable clamps or gripping devices which engage the printing plate on the bed block, so that said disconnected and independently movable clamps maybe simultaneously locked or secured in fixed relat1onto the bed block.

The invention further has for its object to provide a clamp or gripping device of novel construction, as will be described, which is capable of being inserted into a slot or groove in the bed block at any point in the length of said slot or groove and be freely moved therein into operative relation to the printing plate, and of, being automatically engaged with the side walls of the slot or groove with sufficient friction to hold the clamping device against movement by any ordinary pressure. I

The invention further has for its object to provide for releasing some of the clamp: ing devices without disturbing others, if desired.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in' the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan viewof the bed block of a printing press embodying this inven: tion. Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a plan view on a larger scale of a portion of the bed block shown in Fig. 1 with one of the clampingdevices in operati've relation to a printing plate. Fig. 4:, a. detail to be referred to. Fig. 5, an end view of a portion of the bed block shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 6 and 7, modifications to be referred to.

Referring to the drawing a represents the bed block of a printing-press, and b the printing "plates which are secured thereon in fixed relation thereto by a plurality of clamping or gripping devices, which are preferably of a construction as will be de:

scribed. I

The present invention has, for its primary object to provide means for simultaneously looking a plurality and preferably all the clamping devices in fixed relation to the bed block. For this purpose, the bed block a is provided with a plurality of movable sections in the form of bars 0, each of which is provided with slots c l, which are inclined with relation to the length of the bar and register with the usual inclined slots, channels or grooves employed in bed blocks as now commonly made.

The movable sections or bars 0, are located in grooves or slots l0, which areformed in the upper face of the bed block. a and extend transversely thereof, and intersect the inclined slots 6, and as herein shown the slots 10 are made deeper than the inclined slots 0 as represented in Fig. 5, sothat, when the bars or sectionso are inserted into the slots 10, the bottom walls 12 of the inclined slots d will be flush or substantially flush with the bottom wall'l3 of the inclinedslots c in the bed block. The inclined slots the bars 0. arealso made of approximately the same width as the inclined slotse in the bed block, so that the side walls of the inclined slots d in the bars 0 may normally be substantially flush with the side walls of the inclined slots 6 in the bed block. The slots 6 and the bars 0 may and preferably "will be made of suitable depth to have the upper surfaces of the bars flush with the upper surface of the bed block.

For sake. of distinction the slots 10 may be designated the straight slots and the slots 6 the inclined slots in the bed block, and the straight slots are arranged parall'el to one another as herein shown 'and extend from side to side of thebed block, and may be arranged in close proximity to one another or they may be separated the proper dis- I tance according to the characterof the work being done on the press.

The inclined slots (Z in the bars 0 are designed to have inserted into and extending through them clamping or gripping devices, which the printing plate or plates 6 are initially secured to the'bed block, and

in the present instance I have shown a form or construction of clamping or gripping device which is preferred by me. The clamping device herein shown, see Fig. 3, consists of two members 15, 16, whose outer faces 17, 18, are made straight and ,parallel, and whose inner faces 19, 20, are inclined, so as to coiiperate and effect lateral movement of said members by longitudinal movement of either member. In the present instance, the member 16 rests upon the bottom of the member 15 and projects laterally beyond said bottom, and the member 16 is secured to the member 15 so as to be handled as one piece, by pins 22, 23, which project from the ends of the member 16 and extend through holes in the end walls of the member 15. Provision is made for automatically I11OV- ing one member longitudinally with relation to the other, and for this purpose, a coiled spring 24 is interposed between the member 16 and an end wall of the member 15 and encircles the pin 23.

The members 15, 16, are made of the proper width to permit them to be readily inserted into and withdrawn from the inclined slot 6 in the bed block, by moving either member so as to compress the spring 24, and as soon as the compression on the spring is removed, the latter will move one of the members longitudinally with relation to the other and effect lateral movement of one with relation to the other. It will thus be seen, that when the members 15, 16, are moved so as to compress the spring 24, both members may be readily inserted in the inclined slot 6 in the bed block at any point in the length of said slot, and as long as the spring remains compressed the members may bemoved freely in the said slot, and when I released, the spring expands and moves one of the members longitudinally with relation to the other so as to cause the cotiperating inclined faces 19, 20, of said members to move the members laterally into engagement with the side walls of the inclined slot, and thus lock the clamping members in fixed relation to the bed block against ordinary pressure.

The members 15, 16, are made longer than the inclined slot (Z in the bar 0, so that said members may engage the walls of the por tions of the inclined slot 6, which are on op posite sides of the straight slot 10, after the manner represented in Fig. 3.

The member 16 has pivotally secured to it near its narrower end, as by a screw 26, a plate or bar 27, for engagement with the edge of the printing plate 5, and the plate or bar 27 is engaged with the printing plate when the members 15, 16, are in their contracted position, namely with the spring 24 compressed, and as soon as the clamping plate or bar 27 has been properly engaged with the printing plate 6, the spring 24 is then permitted to move the member 15 longitudinally in the direction of the arrow 30 in Figs. 1 and 3, and the inclined surfaces 19, 20, move the members laterally into engagement with the walls of the inclined slots (5, 6. When it is desired to release the clamping device, the operator, by means of a suitable tool engages the end wall of the member 15 which projects beyond the printing plate, and moves the member 15 longitudinally in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 30, so as to compress the spring 24 and contract the clamping device, where upon the latter is free to be slid from under the printing plate.

The bed block a; may have one or more printing plates 6 secured to it by the clamping devices as above described, and in the present instance, two printing plates are indicated in Fig. 1, each of which is secured in operative position by six clamping devices.

Provision is made for moving some or all of the bars or sections 0 simultaneously, so that the clamping devices extended into the inclined slots d in the bars 0, may be firmly pressed against one wall of the inclined slots 6 in the bed block in which the clamping devices are located, and thereby firmly lock the clamping devices against movement.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated one method of moving the locking bars 0, and to this end, each bar is provided at one end with a transverse slot 32 in its upper face, which slot is provided with an outer inclined wall 33, with which may cooperate the inclined wall 34 of a key or wedge shaped bar 35, which is extended through the slots 32 of all the bars 0 and has a straight face or wall 36, which engages the straight side wall 37 of the bed block. The slots 32 in the bars 0 may be made of different widths, so that the tapering key 35 may extend through all of them. The tapering key 35 may be moved longitudinally by a nut 40 engaging the threaded cylindrical end 41 of the key, said nut bearing against the bed block. The inclined side 34 of the key 35 may engage the inclined wall 33 of the locking bars 0, or as may be preferred, said key may engage movable plates 42 inserted in the slot 32 and positioned therein by a set screw 43, which is locked in its adjusted position by a nut 44. In this case the plate 42 forms the inclined end wall of the slot 32.

By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that by turning the nut 40 in the proper direction, the key 35 may be moved longitudinally in the direction indicated by the arrow 45 until the key is prevented from further movement, which takes place when the bars 0 have been moved so as to bring the clamping devices into firm engagement with the side Wall of the inclined slots 6, at which time the clamping devices are locked against movement. By providing the slot 32 with a movable end wall with which the key 35 engages, any one or more of the bars 0 may be unlocked without disturbing the other bars, which may be accomplished by backing oil the screw .43 suiliciently to permit the bar 0 tobe moved and effect the release of the clamping devices operated by this particular bar.

In Figs. 6 and 7, I have illustrated another method for simultaneously moving the bars 0, which consists in providing each bar 0 with an elongated opening 50, in which is located an eccentric or cam 51 fast on a rotatable shaft 52, by turning which, by means of a handle 53 or otherwise, said bars may be moved simultaneously to lock and unlock the clamping devices.

I have illustrated two constructions of actuating devices for moving the bars 0, so as to simultaneously look a plurality of disconnected and independently operated clamping devices for holding a printing plate in fixed relation on a bed block, but as I believe myself to be the first to effect this result, it.

is not desired to limit the invention to the particular means shown for accomplishing this result.

By means of the invention herein shown, one or more printing plates can be securely locked in its or their desired position on the bed block with great economy in time and efiort, inasmuch as with the present invention, all the plates on the block can be locked with practically one motion in one direction, and released by a reverse motion, with ease and rapidity. Furthermore, the clamping device herein shown is enabled to be inserted into the inclined slot in the bed block at any point in the length of the said slot, and is automatically held inthe position in which it is released by the operator, and as it is readily released by movement of one member with relation to the other, the clamping device can be quickly and easily moved in the inclined slot into any position desired.

Claims:

1. The combination with abase block provided with a plurality of slots inclined with relation to one side of said block and having a plurality of straight slots intersecting said inclined slots, of locking bars movable in said straight slots and provided with inclined slots to register with the inclined slots in the base block, clamping devices located in the inclined slots of said locking bars and extended into the inclined slots of the base block, and means for simultaneously moving a plurality of said locking bars.

2. The combination with a base block provided with a plurality of slots inclined with relation to one side o'f'said block and having a plurality of straight slots intersecting said inclined slots, of locking bars movable in said straight slots and provided with inclined slots toregister with the inclined slots in the base block,;clamping deviceslocated in the inclined slots of said locking bars and inclined slots of the base block, and means for moving said lockingbar to ei'lectfirni engagement of the clamping devices with the base block. a

4. The combination with a base block, of a printing plate supported thereby, a plurality of disconnected clampingdevices movable in one direction on said "base block toward and from the said printing plate in dependently of one another, and means engaging a plurality of said clamping devices to move them in a direction at an angle to the first-mentioned direction for simultaneously locking them to said base block in fixed relation against movement in said firstmentioned direction.

5. The combination with a base block pro vided with substantially parallel. slots and with a slot intersecting a plurality of said substantially parallel slots, of a bar movable in said intersectingslot and providedwith substantially parallel slots to register with the substantially parallel slots in the bed block. y

6. The combination with a base block, of a printing plate supported thereby, a plurality oficlamping devices movable in one direction on said base block to engage said printing plate, a plurality of disconnected locking devices for moving the clamping devicesin a different direction to. secure them in fixed relation to the base block, and means'for simultaneously actuating a plurality of said locking devices.

7. Thecombination with a base block, of a printing plate supported thereby, a plurality of clamping devices to engage said printing plate, a plurality. of locking devices for securing the "clamping devices in fixed relation to the bed plate, and means. for simultaneously actuating a plurality of said locking devices.'and means for releas ing some of the locking devices without disturbing others of said locking devices.

8. A clamping deviceof the character described, comprising members provided with cooperating inclined faces, and one of which members is movable longitudinally with relation to the other, an arm on one of said members extended into the path of movement of the other member, and a pin on the other'member extended through said arm.

9. A clamping device of the character described, comprising members provided with cooperating inclined faces, and a spring to move one of the members longitudinally with relation to the other to cause the inclined faces to move one of the members laterally with relation to the other, and means for connecting said members together to permit them to be handled as one piece.

10. The combination with a base block provided with a plurality of slots and with a slot intersecting some of the first men tioned slots, of a device movable in said intersecting slot and provided with slots which register with some of the first mentioned slots to form continuations thereof.

11. A clamping device of the character described, comprising a member provided with an inclined face and with arms extend- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the ed transversely with relation to said memher, a coo tierating member having an inclined face and located between said arms, and pins for guiding said second-mentioned member in its movement between said arms.

12. A clamping device of the character described, comprising members provided with cooperating inclined faces, and one of which members is movable longitudinally with relation to the other, an arm on one of said members extended into the path of movement of the other member, and a device carried by said. arm for guiding the other of said members in its movement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL W. MARVIN.

Witnesses:

JAs. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

